PREVIEW: Giants Close out Alberta trip with Monday Matinee vs. Oil Kings
Edmonton Alta. – The Vancouver Giants (5-3-0-0) wrap up their five-game Alberta road trip on Thanksgiving Monday with a visit to Rogers Place to take on the Edmonton Oil Kings (2-3-0-1) at 11 a.m. PT.
Vancouver is 2-2 on the road swing so far, following wins in Red Deer (Oct. 8) and Lethbridge (Oct. 11), and losses in Calgary (Oct. 6) and Medicine Hat (Oct. 12).
Monday will be the first meeting between Vancouver and Edmonton since December 29, 2023, when the Oil Kings topped the G-Men 5-3 at the Langley Events Centre. The Giants haven’t played a game in Edmonton since winning 2-1 in on October 27, 2022, when Mazden Leslie had the game-winning-goal.
The Oil Kings last game was a 5-1 win over Red Deer on Saturday afternoon.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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TODAY’S MATCHUP
The G-Men have shown an ability to score this season, currently top-5 in the WHL in goals for per game with 4.13. The Oil Kings are currently only allowing 2.50 goals against per game, and they are 2-0 on home ice, with nine goals for and just two against in those two wins.
While the Oil Kings are still in a transition period, they recently added to their scoring depth with Lukas Sawchyn, the brother of forward Gracyn Sawchyn, and new import pick Miroslav Holinka, who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs this past summer. That is in additional to last year’s leading scorer and recently named captain Gavin Hodnett, as well as Adam Jecho, who was drafted by the St. Louis Blues last summer.
Discipline will be a key for the Giants on Monday, after that cost them the game on Saturday against Medicine Hat. Their power play also converted again in that game, so if they can draw more penalties than they take, that will go a long way.
Though these teams seldom meet, each of the last three meetings were decided by two goals or less:
DATE | LOCATION | RESULT |
December 29, 2023 | LEC | 5-3 L |
October 27, 2022 | Rogers Place | 2-1 W |
November 23, 2019 | LEC | 5-4 OTW |
Players to Watch
The Player to Watch for the Giants is defenceman Mazden Leslie, who is playing near his hometown of Lloydminster, Alberta.
The last time Leslie played in this building, he scored the game-winning-goal in a 2-1 win. Although that was nearly two years ago, Leslie has taken his game to another level this season with 10 points (3G-7A) in six games. He consistently generates offensive chances and is third on the team in shots on goal with 25.
The Player to Watch for the Oil Kings is forward Gracyn Sawchyn. The Florida Panthers draft pick scored a highlight reel wrap-around goal on Saturday, and has three points in three games so far (1G-2A).
Last season, Sawchyn recorded 64 points (19G-45A) split between the Oil Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds.
TALE OF THE TAPE (2024-25 REG SEASON)
VANCOUVER | STAT | EDMONTON |
5-3-0-0 (10 points) | RECORD | 2-3-0-1 (5 points) |
3rd | DIVISION RANK | 4th |
6th | CONFERENCE RANK | 9th |
2-1-0-0 | HOME RECORD | 2-0-0-0 |
3-2-0-0 | ROAD RECORD | 0-3-0-1 |
33
(4.13 – T-3rd) |
GOALS FOR
(Per Game) |
15
(2.50 – 21st) |
32
(4.00 – 16th) |
GOALS AGAINST
(Per game) |
15
(2.50 – 2nd) |
35.3% (1st) | POWER PLAY | 17.4% (T-17th) |
66.7% (20th) | PENALTY KILL | 84.2% (3rd) |
Schmidt (9-4-13)
Leslie (3-7-10) Lin (0-10-10) |
LEADERS | Hodnett (3-4-7)
Fiddler (1-3-4) Sawchyn (1-2-3) |
Schmidt – 9 Goals | TOP GOAL SCORER | Hodnett – 3 Goals |
Leslie/Lin (0-10-10) | TOP SCORING D-MAN | Fiddler (1-3-4) |
SEASON SERIES VS. EDMONTON (0-0-0; 1 H2H)
DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
Oct. 14, 2024 | Rogers Place | 11:00 AM PT |
NEXT 5 GAMES
DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
October 14, 2024 | at Edmonton | Rogers Place | 11:00 am PT |
Oct. 19, 2024 | vs. Prince Albert | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
Oct. 20, 2024 | at Wenatchee | Town Toyota Center | 4:00 pm PT |
Oct. 25, 2024 | at Spokane | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | 7:05 pm PT |